Bay Colony Rail Trail
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13-Sep-2014 -
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Transcript of Bay Colony Rail Trail
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Manhan Rail Trail, Easthampton, MA
• What is the Bay Colony Rail Trail?
• Background on rail-trails
• Rail-trail exploration and development process
• Current status of BCRT
• Questions and concerns
Itinerary
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• Needham: 2 miles from Needham Junction to the Charles River.
• Dover: 3.5 miles from the Charles River to Hunt Drive.
• Medfield: 1.5 miles to Harding Street.
Overview
The Bay Colony Rail Trail project is focusedon the inactive rail corridor betweenMedfield and Needham.
The entire segment is 7 miles:
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A Rail-Trail is a Linear Park
Pere Marquette Rail-Trail, Midland, Michigan
• A rail-trail is the conversion of a inactive railway into a multi-use recreational path.
• Rail-trails offer a safe place for walking, jogging, cycling, crosscountry skiing, orhorseback riding.
• Rail-trails can be asphalt, crushed stone, cinder, or just plain dirt.
• In Massachusetts, there are:• 103 active rail-trail projects• Dozens of completed rail-trails
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• Cape Cod Rail TrailWellfleet-Dennis, 22 miles
• Nashua River Rail TrailAyer-Nashua, 12.3 miles
• Minuteman BikewayArlington-Bedford, 11 miles
• Shining Sea BikewayFalmouth-Woods Hole, 10.7
miles
• Norwottuck Rail TrailNorthampton-Belchertown,
10 mi.
• Bruce Freeman Rail TrailChelmsford-Westford, 6.8
miles
• Assabet River Rail TrailMarlborough-Acton, 5.6 miles
Popular Rail-Trails in Mass.
Cape Cod Rail Trail
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• Health: more recreation and nature opportunities.
• Transportation / Livability: improved viable and safe transportation routes.
• Environment: choosing active transportation reduces your carbon miles.
• Open Space Protection: Trails preserve and maintain natural settings.
• Community Identity: Trails create civic pride and engender neighborliness.
Rail Trail Benefits
Rail Trail between Dover and Portsmouth, NH
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No Two Rail Trails are the Same
Each community defines its ownrequirements in terms of:• Surface (paved or not)• Landscaping• Barriers• Accessibility• Rules
Each town defines its ownapproach to handling things like:
• Parking• Animals (dogs, horses)• Motorized vehicles (e.g.
ATVs)Assabet River Rail Trail, Stowe
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• Rail Trail projects are often measured in decades, not years.
Bruce Freeman (left) took 21 years just to complete Phase 1.
• The fastest Rail Trail project in Massachusetts to date is 6 years.
• Avoiding state bureaucracy helps
Wachusett Greenway is moving well through volunteerism.
• A Rail Trail project cannot succeed without support from each community.
• It takes time to earn that support, to define a trail that works for each community.
This is a Long Road...
Bruce Freeman Rail Trail, Chelmsford, MA
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• Step 1: Conduct feasibility study. 6 - 12 months.
• Negotiate lease from the MBTA and remove the rail.12 - 18 months
• Then... begin the recreational trail funding / grant process.
• If it's a paved trail, expect five years to get federal funding.
• Avoiding federal funding, a rail trail can be built at a pace of 1/2 mile per year.
Typical Rail Trail Timeline
Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, MA
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• Experience a rail-trail yourself. Listing at:
www.traillink.com
• Research Rail-trails at the Bruce Freeman site:
www.brucefreemanrailtrail.org
• Visit our web site to get involved.
www.baycolonyrailtrail.org
• Let us know your specific concerns:
Some Next Steps for You...
Minuteman Trail, Lexington, MA
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Thanks for your time